Time passed quickly, and Wang Hao and his sister repeated the same routine every day: during the day, they set up their stall to do business; in the evening, before six o'clock, all two hundred items would be sold out, so they would pack up their stall and head home.
Wang Hao had no intention of rapidly increasing his income and proficiency by increasing his daily sales volume.
He couldn't help but recall his younger self, who was always single-mindedly pursuing victory or defeat, only focusing on immediate gains, as if he had endless energy and felt that there was nothing in the world that could not be achieved.
However, as he grew older and gained more experience, he gradually understood the principle of "there's always tomorrow."
That kind of blind self-confidence he once had actually stemmed from his limited understanding.
The more one firmly believes in a certain thing, person, or place, the more it is often simply because one does not understand it deeply enough.
Just as the more one reads, the more one realizes how little one knows.
This realization calmed him down, making him no longer eager for quick success; growth itself was already a very happy thing, there was no need to force it too much, as too much is as bad as too little.
Despite not increasing daily sales, the daily net income still exceeded a thousand yuan, which was already very comfortable and pleasant for the two of them.
Days passed leisurely like this for several days, then came the fourth day after upgrading to Intermediate Skill.
"Congratulations, your Intermediate Cooking Skill proficiency +1, current proficiency: Intermediate Cooking Skill 999/1000!"
On this sunny afternoon, Wang Hao had just finished a fragrant plate of fried noodles.
As he wiped the slight sweat from his forehead, a system prompt suddenly flashed before his eyes—it turned out that his Intermediate Cooking Skill proficiency had reached 999!
He was just one point of proficiency away from maxing out his Intermediate Cooking Skill proficiency!
Thinking of this, Wang Hao couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation and excitement, but at the same time, a slight sense of torment.
After all, it wasn't mealtime yet, and it would probably take a few more minutes for the next customer to arrive; for something anticipated, a few brief minutes can sometimes feel long.
It was like waiting for someone at a train station; you knew the train had arrived, but after a few minutes, the person still hadn't appeared. That feeling indeed makes one feel a bit tormented.
However, such emotions were fleeting; Wang Hao believed that good food is worth waiting for, so he just waited.
Wang Hao stood leisurely in front of the stove, chatting with his sister beside him, waiting for this upcoming "ultimate customer" to become his key step towards a higher realm of Cooking.
Time passed by minute by minute, and finally, a middle-aged man, shuffling slowly in slippers, walked over. Wang Hao smiled and went forward, greeting him warmly: "You're here, brother!"
The middle-aged man nodded slightly in response, then, like a regular customer, he skillfully ordered his dishes. Immediately after, he unhurriedly found a seat and sat down, his movements practiced and natural, clearly indicating that this was not his first time patronizing Wang Hao's business.
A milestone meal arrived, and Wang Hao fully immersed himself in the Cooking. Ingredients flew and danced in his hands, the spatula and pot bottom clanged crisply; seasonings were sprinkled in just right, emitting an enticing aroma.
Every movement was so precise, fluid, and rhythmic, like a magnificent performance.
As the spatula flew and the ingredients danced, bursts of enticing aroma permeated the air.
In no time, a plate of fried noodles, excellent in color, aroma, and taste, was presented to the customer. At this moment, two prompts appeared consecutively before Wang Hao's eyes:
"Congratulations, your Intermediate Cooking Skill proficiency +1, current proficiency: Intermediate Cooking Skill 1000/1000"
"Congratulations, your Intermediate Cooking Skill has been upgraded to Advanced Cooking Skill, current proficiency: Advanced Cooking Skill 0/10000"
As the prompts appeared, it was as if a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
Wang Hao's brain instantly felt like it was being pricked by many tiny needles, a slight pain assailing him, making him frown.
This slight pain spread rapidly like a tide, making his thoughts chaotic.
Then, he felt as if his mind was undergoing a violent screening and filtering, with countless pieces of information, memories, and thoughts tumbling and churning within it, as if everything was being rearranged and recombined.
At the same time, his body also began to produce a miraculous reaction, his bones emitting faint, crisp "click-clack" sounds, as if they had been meticulously adjusted by an invisible hand.
Within these brief two seconds, Wang Hao's expression became dazed, as if he had lost his perception of his surroundings.
His body trembled slightly, trying to adapt to this sudden change.
Finally, when everything returned to calm, Wang Hao let out a long breath, his eyes shining with incredible light.
He quietly felt the various changes in his body and mind, a sense of indescribable wonder rising within him.
This feeling was truly too magical, beyond all his previous understanding and imagination!
Wang Hao suddenly felt as if he had grown taller, not in an ideological sense, but physically, in reality.
However, since accurate measurements couldn't be taken at the moment, he would have to wait until he returned home to measure carefully.
If his feeling was not mistaken, then this cheat was truly incredible!
It could actually make him, already in his thirties, grow taller again; this was simply a miracle!
Recalling his youth, due to being in a critical period of growth and development but failing to intake sufficient nutrition, Wang Hao's height had stagnated in his twenties, finally settling at 168cm.
And in today's era, where the average height reaches 180cm, such a height was even jokingly called "third-class disabled."
Although Wang Hao was very strong internally, this had always been a pain in his heart that was difficult to erase.
Yet now, this cheat actually had the ability to change this point, how could Wang Hao not be overjoyed? He was sincerely immensely happy about this change.
Not only that, but a huge amount of Cooking-related knowledge suddenly surged into his mind, its quantity astounding!
Compared to the knowledge transmitted when he advanced from Basic Cooking Skill to Intermediate Cooking Skill, the amount of information this time was simply a world apart!
Faced with such a vast amount of knowledge, Wang Hao knew he would have to spend some time to properly digest and absorb it.
As for the changes in his body, Wang Hao guessed that perhaps this was also to help him better adapt to the high-difficulty techniques in Advanced Cooking, a deliberate adjustment of his body.
He tried to move his body gently and immediately felt an unprecedented sense of coordination.
Especially when he swung his arms and moved his hands, that strange feeling became even more apparent—his arms and hands had become more flexible and powerful than before!
Just as Wang Hao was immersed in the physical and knowledge changes brought about by his improved Cooking, the astonishing proficiency cheat once again flashed a prompt!
Looking at this sudden prompt, it was like a thunderclap in Wang Hao's ears, leaving him stunned and rooted to the spot, his mind instantly swirling with thoughts and wild imaginings.